Lewis Hamilton receives no support from former F1 driver over FIA ban on political speech: "Better not to say anything at all"

Lewis Hamilton received no support from former F1 driver David Coulthard over the FIA's new rule that bans drivers from making political statements during race weekends. Since the Briton is one of the most outspoken drivers on the grid and has constantly used his enormous reach to raise awareness about certain global issues, he will be most affected by the new amendment.

Speaking to Expressen, Coulthard explained how the sport is watched by millions of people and, hence, can be a great platform to spread positivity. However, he also made a connection between speaking in F1 interviews and giving an acceptance speech at the Oscars, explaining the impact of each word spoken by the F1 drivers. The former McLaren driver said:

“Sport is watched by millions of people all over the world and therefore it can be used as a platform to do something good. But as an athlete, you are also very lucky to get paid to do things that others would do for nothing at all."

He further added:

“And it’s a bit like an acceptance speech at the Oscars. If everyone uses the opportunity to make a political statement, there is no issue that is not important to someone. So we either have to mention everything, or maybe it’s better not to say anything at all and concentrate on the sport."

Although David Coulthard is well aware and understands that freedom of speech should not be curbed, he also stresses that F1 drivers should mainly focus on the sport, saying:

“I understand that there are people who promote freedom of speech and all that, and that is absolutely an important thing to keep in mind, but I also think that we have to remember that it is the sporting rules that we are talking about, not some political regulation.”

Of course, since Lewis Hamilton is the leading personality on the F1 paddock for raising awareness about issues like racism and gender inequality, the new rule and its discussion will mostly be connected to him in one way or another.

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Lewis Hamilton shares his thoughts on F1's new rule

Lewis Hamilton recently expressed his thoughts on the new F1 amendment that bans drivers from making personal statements on global issues. The Briton is unhappy with the rules, along with several other drivers.

Speaking to The New York Times, Hamilton mentioned how there are still barriers that curb freedom of speech even after the sport has progressed, saying:

"There are still so many barriers still in place. Hopefully, it's not going to be like this for much longer, but it's just sad to see we are still finding those things today."

Lewis Hamilton also delved deep into how important it is to have conversations about certain global issues in the world so that they can be resolved much more quickly.